The Sludge
by TexasKingoftheGeeks
Summary: Part two of my Obsidian fanfic. It's been a month since Obsidian was freed from the clutches of the Sludge. Now, he must figure out a way to stop the Sludge once and for all.
1. Intro

Previously on Steven Universe…

A hundred years earlier, Obsidian had been possessed by the evil Sludge that was covering Planet Zorak. While the other Gems had presumed him dead, Ruby believed that he was still alive. Her belief was confirmed when Obsidian appeared near the Warp Pad on Planet Zorak. She was elated at his return, but was horrified when he rejected her. Obsidian told the other Gems that he was going to rule the universe and disappeared as mysteriously as he had reappeared. Ruby still wasn't shaken. After the real Obsidian spoke to her in a dream, she knew he needed help. She warped to Beach City without telling the other Gems, and was ambushed by Obsidian. The other Gems came to her rescue, but Obsidian had gone completely insane. Ruby knew there was only one thing to do. She ran him through with her spear, and Garnet cleansed his Gems of the Sludge.

Meanwhile, Peridot professed her love for Pearl through a kiss in battle. In the end, Pearl &amp; Peridot ended up together and Ruby &amp; Obsidian resumed dating. But the threat of the Sludge is still high. The Sludge has taken over three-fourths of Planet Zorak. Obsidian has sworn to destroy the Sludge at all costs…


	2. Chapter 1

_Location: Gem Sector 2, Russian wastelands 150 miles away from St. Petersburg.  
Date: 9/29/2014  
Time: 10:30 PM_

_Today, we had to battle another of our Gem brethren transformed into a feral beast. This time, I believe it to be our old comrade, Azurite. The creature had a scar on its eye similar to the one Azurite had. We recovered the Gemstone, but I'm still uneasy about having to do this to my fellow Gems. Maybe someday we'll be able to cure them as Garnet did with Obsidian. Hopefully soon…_

_Topaz._

After every mission, Topaz always kept a logbook of their adventures. He figured that it was the best way to keep track of all the Gemstones they recovered. He kept the logbook in his part of the temple. Topaz's part of the temple was like the biggest library the world had ever known. It contained every book Topaz had ever read. Whenever he read a new one, an exact copy of the book appeared in his room, and Topaz was a very active reader.

Suddenly, the door to his room opened up and Peridot walked in. "Hey, Topaz."  
"Oh, hey, Peridot. How was your date with Pearl?"  
"Wonderful! Our relationship is going well. I just wish I could live closer to her…"  
"Yes, well, we have our priorities here."  
"Pearl told me something you might find interesting."  
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" said Topaz not looking up from his book. "Lapis Lazuli made it off world."

At that, Topaz's book hit the floor. "Wh-what? They found Lapis Lazuli?! She's been missing for centuries!"  
"Apparently, she was trapped in a mirror and Steven freed her. Her Gem was cracked and Steven fixed it with his spit."  
"So, Lapis Lazuli is free?!"  
"Yes."  
"And Steven can heal Gems?!"  
"With his spit."  
"Steven could be the answer to curing our Gem brethren!"  
"Yes, but we still have to find all of them first."

Yes, it was true. None of the Sectors had recovered all of the Gemstones. Not even close. But there was one that Obsidian desperately wanted to find, his sister, Onyx.


	3. Chapter 2

Onyx and Obsidian were more than just brother and sister, they were the best of friends! They shared many traits. They dressed similar, they had similar hair, and their Gemstones were even on the same parts of their bodies. But not all Gems are exactly alike. Onyx didn't have the same weapon as Obsidian. Whereas Obsidian used pistols, Onyx threw infinite grenades. Obsidian was an expert marksman, but Onyx was lucky if she could hit the same target twice. Obsidian could transform whenever he liked, but Onyx never learned how. Though, no one could really blame her for her lack of experience. Onyx was born when Obsidian had already turned 500. She learned everything she knew from Obsidian.

While Onyx dressed like a Goth, she did enjoy some of the finer things in life. Onyx was the kind of girl that loved to go out and see the world. She never said no to a trip no matter where it took her. She was excited every time she got to go on a mission, though she had to be saved by her brother most of the time…

Everything was going well with her training until Ruby came along. Obsidian fell in love with Ruby and wanted to start training her as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Obsidian's love for Ruby made him forget about Onyx. She tried to learn by herself, but it didn't work. She couldn't master her powers by herself. So, she decided to fake it and hope the powers that she hadn't mastered would never have to be used. That plan worked until one fateful night…

At the Lunar Sea Spire, Garnet informed the Gems of a dangerous mission somewhere in space. The Gems immediately started discussing who to send. "I'll go!" shouted Onyx as she stood up from her chair. "Onyx, you are still too young," replied Pearl. "I can do this! I've been preparing for a big mission, and I know I'm ready."  
"Obsidian, what do you think?"  
"Uh, well…" Obsidian was about to say "no" when Onyx gave him the sad, pleading eyes. "Oh, fine. Just be careful."  
"Yes!" shouted Onyx as she hugged her brother, "Thank you, Obsidian! You won't regret it!"

Those were the last words Onyx ever spoke to the Gems. After she warped away, she was never heard from again. Obsidian always blamed himself for letting her go. Even today, he can't get over feeling guilty for sending his little sister out to fight some horrible creature only for her to never return…


	4. Chapter 3

Since then, Obsidian had sworn to find his sister and make it up to her, but he has never found Onyx's Gemstones. Being possessed by the Sludge didn't help either. Every day, he thinks about her, much like Ruby thought of him every day.

"I'm so glad you're back," said Ruby during her date with Obsidian. "Yeah, me too," Obsidian replied dejectedly.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Oh, it's… it's nothing."  
"You don't sound like it's nothing."  
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Ruby and Obsidian had spent so much time together, Ruby never even met Onyx. She wasn't there at the Sea Spire when Onyx took on her first and final solo mission. Obsidian wanted to tell her, but he always got sad whenever the subject was brought up. Heck, he got sad whenever he even heard the word onyx.

"You sure? You've been staring at the horizon this whole time…"  
"It's okay, Ruby, can we just drop it?"  
"Fine, but just know you can talk to me about anything anytime."

After their date, they went back to the Gem Temple in the Russian Wastelands. Obsidian slumped down on the couch while Ruby went into her room. Obsidian's mind wouldn't give him any rest from the subject, until Peridot came out of the Temple. "Hey, how was your date?"  
"I'm not in the mood, Peridot."  
"Oh, you're still thinking about…" Peridot stopped herself before she spoke Onyx's name. She knew how Obsidian got at her name. "…her…"  
"It's okay, you can say her name."  
"Look, Ob, we're gonna find her. I promise."  
"We don't even know where she is. The coordinates Garnet got were rather wide. It covers a whole freakin' galaxy for cryin' out loud! It would take us centuries to search every planet and some of them don't even have warp pads!"  
"Obsidian…"  
"I'm sorry, but I can't help it. This is all my fault! I let Onyx go on that mission, and now she's probably dead."

Little did Obsidian or Peridot know that Ruby had overheard their conversation…


	5. Chapter 4

"Onyx?" questioned Ruby to herself. She had to know who Onyx was.

Ruby slipped into Topaz's library. Luckily, he was out at the time. She combed through hundreds of books and finally came across Topaz's logbooks. "Bingo!"

She started reading.

_August 24th, 1879_

_Life on Earth is... interesting... to say the least. Things around here are rather relaxing. I think I could get used to this!_

"I should try a little farther..."

_August 15th, 1922_

_Unfortunately, we have lost one of our own. Obsidian was consumed by black sludge on Planet Zorak. He is presumed dead. _

"Hmm, maybe I went to far..."

_October 4th, 1900_

_Goodbye, Onyx. _

"Bingo!" She read on.

_It has been over a week since Onyx left on her solo mission to the Brak System. We have heard no news from her whatsoever. Unfortunately, we must assume the worst. Obsidian is the most saddened. He spent the night in his room crying his eyes out. He can't help but feel bad that he let his younger sister go out on a mission by herself._

"Oh, so that's why he was so sad that night..." Ruby started to rethink those nights Obsidian wouldn't leave his room. She had assumed he just needed some alone time, but now it all made sense. "I've gotta find her."

Suddenly, the door to the room opened up. Ruby quickly used her morphing powers to shrink herself down as Topaz entered the room. Ruby managed to make it out the door before it closed and made herself normal size.

"WHO TOUCHED MY BOOKS?! THEY'RE ALL OUT OF LINE!"


	6. Chapter 5

Without telling anyone, Ruby transported herself to the Brak system to search for Onyx. It was going to be hard, the Brak system had over 200 planets, and only a few of them had Warp Pads. "Okay, let's get started," Ruby said with confidence.

Back on Earth, Topaz sensed the Warp Pad had been used. He quickly ran to Obsidian and Peridot. "Has anyone seen Ruby?!"  
"Not since our date, but that was awhile ago."  
"We have to find her! The Warp Pad has been activated!"  
"We could try to contact her..."  
"We don't even know where she is!"  
"But I know someone who might..."

They warped over to the Beach City Temple. Steven was playing a video game, Garnet was listening to music, Amethyst was sleeping as usual, and Pearl was doing Tai-Chi. "Hey, guys!" shouted Steven excitedly. "We don't have time to talk, Steven. We have a problem and we need Pearl's help."  
"My help?"  
"Yes, we need contact with Sapphire."  
"Whoa, who's Sapphire?!"  
"You remember the incident with the Sludge, correct?"  
"Yeah...?"  
"We sent here to Planet Zorak years ago to keep an eye on it."  
"I'll try to contact Sapphire immediately."

Pearl began to meditate. _"Sapphire, can you hear me?"  
"Yes. What is it, Pearl?"  
"Ruby has gone missing. We need you to find her."  
"She's going to have to wait. I need Steven's powers."  
"But why?"  
"Don't argue. I have found a way to destroy the Sludge once and for all, but I need Steven."  
"Okay, we will be there shortly."_

Pearl stood up. "Steven, we're taking you to Planet Zorak immediately."


	7. Chapter 6

They quickly took Steven to Planet Zorak. The Sludge surrounded the Warp Pad. The Gems were in awe at how much the Sludge had grown. "We have to stop this thing at all costs!" shouted Pearl as she took out her spear and started attacking the Sludge. "I wanna help!"  
"Steven, you're not ready. You just learned how to summon your Shield!"  
"Yes, and that makes me a full Gem. I can help!"

Suddenly, Steven's shield formed from his Gem. Suddenly, the Sludge began to shrink back as if it were scared of Steven. It left the Warp Pad's area immediately. "Whoa, Steven... THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!" exclaimed Amethyst. "Thanks!"  
"Good job, Steven. Now, let's find Sapphire."  
"I'm right here," said a voice from behind. Pearl turned around to see a blue Gem standing behind her. "Sapphire! It's so good to see you!"  
"Likewise. So, this is the famous Steven, son of Rose Quartz."  
"Yep, Steven Quartz Universe at your service!"  
"Good. Now we must be off."  
"But what about Ruby?"  
"I'm right here," came Ruby's voice. Ruby jumped down from a cliff above them and landed near Obsidian, "Miss me?" Obsidian immediately started hugging her. "I'm so glad you're okay! Don't ever do something like that ever again!"  
"Don't worry, I won't."  
"We don't have much time. The Sludge is on the move."  
"She's right. We have to get Steven closer."  
"What?! You want to send Steven to fight this thing?!"  
"Pearl, I realize your concern, but-!"  
"But nothing! I promised Rose that I would protect Steven, and I don't think allowing him to fight something this dangerous is protecting!"  
"Oh, come one, Pearl. Quit being a stick in the mud."  
"I'm not! I'm just trying to keep my promise to Rose!"

Sapphire put her hand on Pearl's shoulder. "Look, I realize that you want to protect Steven, but this is a matter of life or death. Only Steven can solve it. Trust me, it will all make sense soon."  
"Okay, I trust you."  
"Don't worry, Pearl. Steven will be completely safe."

Pearl couldn't help but wonder what Steven was about to get into.

To be concluded...


	8. Chapter 7

Sapphire led the Gems as they made their way to the epicenter of the Sludge. It appeared as a large, slightly transparent, black bubble. "Whoa, cool!" exclaimed Steven. "Not cool! Sapphire, you can't seriously be sending Steven in there!"  
"Pearl, before you make your decision, look inside."

Pearl looked closely at the bubble. Inside, something was glowing as if it were... alive.

"Something is causing this to exist. None of us can get inside without protection. Steven's bubble shield can penetrate it without him getting absorbed."  
"Oh, okay. Steven, promise me you'll be careful!"  
"Okay. I promise."  
"Now, form your bubble shield."

Steven did as he was told and formed his large Rose Quartz Bubble Shield. "Now, hurry and find out what's causing this."  
"You got it, dude!" shouted Steven with a thumbs up. Steven rolled his bubble into the Sludge bubble, which immediately closed behind him.

As soon as he got closer to the glowing object, he heard a weak voice saying "Help me! Help me!"  
"Wha-?! Who's there?!"  
"Help me, Rose!"  
"You mean my mom?"  
"Help me!"  
"How can I help?" Suddenly, the glowing object came closer and as soon as he saw it, Steven realized what he needed to do.

Meanwhile, Pearl was pacing back and forth. "Oh, I just know something bad has happened!"  
"Will you relax? Steven's got this!"  
"Yes, Pearl. Believe in Steven."  
"I do, but, I'm so worried something bad is gonna-!" Just before Pearl could finish her sentence, the Sludge Bubble exploded, sliming all of them. "STEVEN!" screamed Pearl in worry. They all ran over to see Steven in fetal position clutching something. "Steven, are you hurt?!" asked Pearl frantically. "Wait, what has he got in his arms?" asked Sapphire.

Suddenly, the object in Steven's arms began to glow in black light. Steven turned over and let it go. It rose into the sky and began absorbing all of the Sludge. Within seconds, Planet Zorak was completely cleared of Sludge. Even some Zorakians who had been buried for over a century began to wake up. The glowing object then hovered over near the Gems and split in two side-by-side glowing objects. Then, a grey-skinned humanoid began to form from them. Arms, legs, a torso, and finally a head. The figure was dressed in a black cutoff dress, black boots, and had long, spikey hair. The glowing objects revealed themselves to be black Gemstones on the figure's shoulders. The figure turned around. "Thank you, Steven," she said. "Wait, I know that voice..." said Obsidian. The woman stood up shakily and turned around. "Hello, Obsidian," she said. "Onyx!" shouted Obsidian, crying with tears of joy. Obsidian ran up and hugged her. "Onyx, I'm so glad you're back!"  
"Me too, Obsidian. Me too."


	9. Epilogue

As the Gems walked back to the Warp Pad, they were cheered on by the many Zorakians they had just saved. "Onyx, I'm sorry I didn't go with you that night. If I had been there, it might have turned out different."  
"Obsidian, it wasn't your fault. I wanted to go alone to prove myself."  
"Yes, but I neglected your training."  
"You fell in love. I can't fault you for that!"  
"Yes, but-!"  
"Obsidian, it's okay. I'm fine. We're fine. Everyone is fine. It all worked out in the end. Steven fixed my Gemstones, and I am fine."  
"Okay, but I'm not going to neglect your training anymore. I'll make sure you have the best training I can give you."  
"Thank you, Obsidian. And thank you, Steven. Without your healing spit, I would still be a mound of Sludge slowly covering this planet with no control over myself."  
"No problem! That's what I do!"

They took Onyx back to Beach City and she couldn't believe how it had grown in over 100 years. "So many new sights! So many new inventions!"  
"Yep, I felt the same way when I came back. Say, why did you take over my mind and make me try to kill everyone?"  
"Oh, well, about that. It's a long story..."  
"Tell me, please."  
"Well, I guess I should start at the night I went on that solo mission..."

I could tell you about how Onyx came to be the Sludge, but that's a story for another time. It will come soon, I assure you. Join me in my next Steven Universe Fanfic entitled "Onyx's story."

The End... for now...


End file.
